In the Mini Transat village, it’s a day of respite. Today, everyone is waiting for the arrival of Justine Mettraux (TeamWork) who is still more than a hundred miles from the finish in the 16.00 (GMT +1) ranking report. On land, families and friends of the skippers try to suppress their impatience ...

It’s not easy when you have a loved one on the water, to ignore the bursts of anxiety that sometimes arise, not to show your irritation as their speed of approach slows, not to yield to the temptation to ask four times day for an estimated time of arrival of a competitor who has been pointed for five days at the finish line. For the pleasure of being at sea and the adventure of solitary living can only be shared once one returns ashore. Single handed racing remains a selfish passion that relatives can live only by proxy. So to kill time, you tour the butterfly island, you live as expediently as possible ... But no rest.

On the water, Justine Mettraux should finish tonight around 5 am local time (10.00 GMT +1). She should be followed during the day by Simon Koster (Go 4 It) before the bulk of the troops are led in by Nicolas Boidevezi (Nature Addicts ) whose arrival in Pointe -a-Pitre will open the flood gates to clear the traffic jam over the weekend. From Renaud Mary (www.runo.fr) in fourth, to Eric Cochet ( Abers & Co ) in thirteenth among the series boats, there is only 150 miles of separation or twenty hours of sailing. When we include the prototypes of Michele Zambelli (Fontanot), Annabelle Boudinot (Agro 650) and Alan Roura (Navman), twelve boats should cross the finish line from Saturday evening. Others are still far off. Eric Jezegou (Déphémérides Am2I ) is currently more than 1000 miles from the finish and still has 6-7 days at sea. On a very southerly route, he surely hopes that the trade winds, theoretically stronger in the southern latitudes, will enable him to make up some time. The Mini Transat is a school of patience for both those who are at sea and those who are waiting.